A spoiled, evil princess - A loyal, faithful guard - A shy, reclusive pegasus - And a beloved, friendly alicorn. Their stories will merge in the worst way.
Sunset Shimmer rules over the kingdom of Canterlot. She is hated and feared by all of her subjects. At her side stands Flash Sentry, her most trusted guard...and childhood friend. He would do anything for his princess, even taking a life.
Fluttershy lives in the quaint little village of Ponyville. Shunned by the villagers, she lives by herself in her cottage near the forest. One day, while in the forest, she stumbles across an unconscious alicorn. The two become the best of friends.
The paths of these ponies will cross in the worst way possible.
"No 'buts'! Guards, escort these two from the palace. I don't want in my sight any longer."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Two guards saluted and began to usher the two ponies out.
Before the throne room doors closed, the younger of the two yelled to the princess, "Your pride will become your demise! Someday you'll meet your match!"
The doors closed with a thud.
The princess sighed and slumped against her throne as she closed her teal eyes. Thus, she didn't notice the guard entering.
"Ahem, Your Majesty?"
The princess's ears flicked up as she recognized the voice.
"Flash, you don't need to be so formal when it's just the two of us." She said, opening her eyes and smiling a bit.
"Okay, Sunset. Who were they? One of them was screaming about justice for the ponies." Flash raised an eyebrow when he said that last part.
Sunset, while straightening her crown and regalia, said boringly, "Just another two ponies who were complaining to me about their problems. What were their names again? Celestia and Luna, I think. Something about their niece being killed."
"Erm, not to be rude, Sunset, but isn't that important?" Flash asked skeptically.
"No, it was Cadance." Sunset said simply, playing with her mane.
Flash's eyes widened slightly and his mouth did a silent 'oh' before he got his expression under control.
The grandfather clock in the far corner rang as it reached three o'clock.
Sunset turned her attention from Flash to the clock and clapped her hooves. "Yay, it's tea time! I can finally get off this uncomfortable throne."
She started heading for the door. She turned back around when she realized Flash wasn't following.
"Flash, you coming?"
Flash jerked his head towards Sunset. "Huh...oh, yes! I'm coming."
12 years ago...
"Hey, Flash! Wait up! I don't have wings, y'know!" A younger Sunset chased after a younger Flash.
"Ha! Catch me if you can, Sunny! There's a reason my parents named me Flash!" The young pegasus flew quicker.
Sunset stopped in her tracks. A magic aura developed around her horn as she concentrated. In a burst of white light, Flash appeared before her upside down in a telekinetic hold. She walked up to his face and grinned.
She bopped him on his muzzle. "Boop. And there's a reason why I'm next in line for princess, Flash."
"Alright, alright. I get it. Don't mess with the future princess. Just put me down before I hurl." Flash said.
Sunset put a hoof up to her mouth to cover up her giggle. "Okay, if you insist."
Flash landed face-first on the ground. As he stood up, he shook his head and put a hoof up to it. "Ugh...I should've seen it coming."
"Yep!" Sunset said as she sat down beside him, still smiling.
They sat there for a moment, staring up at the drifting clouds.
"Hey, Sunset?" Flash asked.
"What?"
"What would you do when you grow up if you weren't a princess?"
Sunset thought about that for a minute, the smile fading away, and frowned slightly. "Hmm...I don't know, really. What about you? What do you want to be when you grow up?"
"A royal guard. No doubt! I'd get to wear cool armor, protect the kingdom, and plus, I'd get to hang out with you more!" Flash answered instantly.
Sunset blushed slightly. "That's nice."
"Hey, I've got an idea. Let's make a deal. You grow up to be the best princess Canterlot's ever seen and I grow up to become the best guard Canterlot's ever seen. Deal?"
Sunset smiled. "Deal."
"Sunset!"
Both foals turned their heads towards the new voice.
"It's my mother. I gotta go. See you again sometime?" Sunset asked, turning back to Flash.
"Yeah."
Little did they know, that was the last time they'd see each other for a long time...
4 years ago...
Sunset sighed as she walked down the empty hall. Another boring day as princess. Why did her mother have to pass on so soon? Seriously, princess at 14? She expected to become princess one day, but not this soon.
"Your Majesty?"
Sunset stopped. There was something familar about that voice. Why did it feel so familar?
Turning around slowly, her breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened.
Blue eyes and mane, orange coat, same voice...
Sunset felt tears well up in her eyes. But she had to be certain at this armored pegasus was truly him.
"Flash Sentry...?"
"Nice to see you again, Sunny." Flash grinned.
He was tackle-hugged by the recently crowned princess. Tears of joy stained Sunset's cheeks.
"You don't know how happy I am to see you again! It's been almost ten years!" Sunset said, letting go of Flash and wiping her tears away.
"Well, I'm here to stay now. Your Majesty, may I present your newest guard!" Flash bowed.
"You did become a guard!" Sunset exclaimed.
"We made a deal, remember?"
"I sure do."
Present day- In a quaint town not too far away...
"Oh, I was wondering if you could maybe, um, move a bit, so I can, um, get through?" A yellow pegasus asked a griffon.
"Why don't 'cha wait until I move, ya freak?" The griffon growled at her.
"Oh, um, okay." The pegasus shrank back and hurried away, only to bump into a pony.
"Hey, watch where you're going, mare!"
"Go back to your bolt hole, you loser!
"Get your wings and skedaddle!"
The pegasus fled the town, tears running down from her closed eyes as she tried her hardest to keep them in. She didn't open her eyes until her hooves stopped.
When she opened her eyes, she gasped. She had somehow wound up in the Everfree!
'It's okay, Fluttershy,' she told herself. She just needed to follow the path out of the forest.
She focused on the positive. At least it was daytime. At least she was already on the path. At least she got away from the insults...
"Caw! Caw!"
"Hoo! Hoo!"
Fluttershy's ears perked up. Turning her head, she caught sight of an owl and a phoenix flying towards her.
She smiled at them. "Oh, hello there. Nice to meet you. I'm Fluttershy. My, I've never seen a phoenix before..."
The two birds began to push her into the undergrowth.
"Wha- What's going on?! What's wrong?" She asked.
The two didn't stop. They kept nudging and pushing her in a seemingly random direction. Close by, a large tree loomed.
The phoenix cawed to the owl, and they took off in flight, turning towards Fluttershy to beckon her.
"O-okay..." She gulped.
Fluttershy flapped her wings, desperately trying not to lock up. Once she was up to the two's level, they began flying to the giant tree.
Fluttershy followed at a slower pace behind them. Luckily, the giant tree wasn't far, and they reached it in almost no time.
As they landed, the owl and phoenix each pointed a wing. Fluttershy followed where they were pointing and gasped as she saw a barely moving body laying near the roots of the tree. The pony had a purple coat with a mane and tail of indigo bearing two stripes down its middle: one a rose pink and the other a deep violet.
She quickly cantered over. "Oh, you poor thing. We need to get you somewhere safe."
As she examined the pony, she noticed that she (Fluttershy was fairly certain of that, unless she had bad vision, and she was certain she didn't) had both a horn and wings: an alicorn.
Fluttershy turned back to the phoenix and owl, but they had gone. She blinked in surprise, but drew her attention back to the unconscious alicorn.
"Now, to get you out of this forest."
She grabbed the alicorn's front hooves and pulled her off the ground as she flapped her wings. She began to sweat from the effort, but continued on nonetheless.
You're The Queen of The Country, And I'm a Servant of Yours...
She slowly opened her eyes, and brought a hoof to her head as she sat up.
"Oh, you're awake."
She turned her head towards the voice. A yellow pegasus with a light pink mane greeted her with a smile.
It was then that she noticed her surroundings. She was laying on a bed in a room filled with many animals scurrying about.
"Wh-where am I?" She asked.
"You're in my cottage. I found you in the forest unconscious, so I brought you here. I'm Fluttershy."
The pony shook her head. "Thank you." She frowned slightly. "It's strange really. I just remember my name, but I don't remember much before, only fuzzy memories of them. Strangely, my fondest memory is of a pink pony making some promise to me."
"What's your name? If you don't mind me asking, that is." Fluttershy added hastily.
"Twilight. Twilight Sparkle. Nice to meet you, Fluttershy." Twilight stuck a hoof out towards Fluttershy and smiled.
Fluttershy shook it and smiled back.
"Why don't we go into town in a few days? You can get...acquainted with the villagers while I get some things. Um, if you feel up to it anyway. It's okay if you aren't." Fluttershy offered.
Twilight got out of bed, seeming perfectly fine to the shock of Fluttershy. "I'm fine. Do you need help with anything?"
"Oh wow, an alicorn!"
"You're so pretty!"
"I like your wings!"
Twilight blushed as she took in the admiration. She felt a bit awkward in the spotlight. Fluttershy, previously standing at her side, had slipped away.
"Why do you hang out with her? You should hang out with us!" One of the villagers, a little pink filly actually, exclaimed.
"She saved me, and she's the nicest pony I've ever met. I don't see why I shouldn't hang out with her." Twilight answered, frowning. She spotted Fluttershy coming, her eyes pointed towards the ground, and her expression instantly brightened. "Hey, Fluttershy! Are you done?"
Fluttershy jumped slightly, but relaxed when she recognized Twilight's voice. "Oh, um, yes."
"Great! Let's go!" Twilight said, walking away from the crowd that had surrounded her. One could practically hear the disappointment that rang through the crowd.
As they left the town behind, Fluttershy turned to Twilight. "Did you really mean it? What you said back there about me?"
Twilight frowned. "You heard? But besides the point, why would I lie?"
"To take pity on me." Fluttershy said, lowering her head and covering her face with her hair.
"Why would I do something like that, Fluttershy?" Twilight asked, concerned.
Fluttershy sniffled. "Because you're obviously so much more popular than me."
Twilight did a double take. She stopped Fluttershy, and lifted her chin so that their eyes met. "Fluttershy, I swear by the name of the Creator, that I would never do something like that. Especially not to you. I've only known you for a few days, but I can tell that you're so much better than any of those ponies. I mean it when I say that you are the nicest pony I've ever met. You are my friend."
Twilight dropped her hoof. She was instantly enveloped in a hug.
Fluttershy cried onto her shoulder. Her words came out no higher than a whisper. "Thank you, Twilight. Thank you. You don't know how long I've wanted somepony to say that. It feels nice to have a friend."
Twilight smiled as they separated. "I promise to stay your friend forever. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."
She did a few motions with her hooves.
She didn't even question how she knew any of that; it seemed irrelevant at the time.
A week later...
Twilight trotted after Fluttershy, taking in the calm and peaceful atmosphere of the open air market. In other words, she wasn't looking where she was going.
She promptly bumped into a pony headfirst.
"Ow!" She said as she fell back onto her rump, clutching her muzzle.
"I'm sorry, madam. Are you okay?"
Twilight looked up at the stallion she'd bumped into, and words caught in her throat. A faint blush spread across her cheeks as she managed to stutter out a few words.
"No- I-I mean, yes! I'm fine! It was my fault for not paying attention to where I was going. Sorry."
She chuckled awkwardly. The stallion smiled at her, and she felt her blush increase. 'Keep it together, Sparkle! You only just met him! Even if he is pretty cu- No, don't think that way!'
"It's quite alright, Miss...?"
"Sparkle. Twilight Sparkle." She answered, still a bit flustered.
"Miss Sparkle. It's quite alright, Miss Sparkle. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Flash Sentry, her Highness's personal guard." He bowed slightly.
Twilight slack-jawed. Blinking back into reality, she exclaimed, "You're one of Princess Sunset Shimmer's guards?! What are you doing in little tiny Ponyville then?"
'Wait, how did I know that..?'
Flash's voice brought her back to reality.
"I am here on an errand from Her Majesty. If you'll excuse me, Miss Sparkle, I must say farewell. I hope to see you again sometime."
Flash left a speechless, blushing Twilight in his wake.
When he disappeared from her sight, she snapped out of her daze, and looked around for Fluttershy. She didn't have to look far; the pegasus was standing not 10 yards away. In other words, she'd seen the whole thing.
As Fluttershy made her way over to Twilight, the former couldn't conceal a giggle.
"What's so funny?" Twilight asked, her face heating up because she knew actually what Fluttershy was laughing about.
"Oh, just the fact that you seemed to be fond of him." Fluttershy winked.
Twilight's blush went from faint to practically scorching in a matter of moments. "I-I don't know what you're talking about, Fluttershy."
Fluttershy giggled behind a hoof. "Don't worry, Twilight. I won't push the topic."
Twilight let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "Thank you, Fluttershy."
"What are friends for?" Fluttershy laughed.
Twilight joined in a moment later.
"Well, what's your report on Ponyville, Captain Sentry?" Sunset asked.
"Well, Your Majesty, the town is quite independent, it seems to be an overall peaceful place, and-"
"Get on with it, Sentry. Stop stalling. Are they in any way a threat?" Sunset interrupted, boredom and irritation clear in her voice.
Flash was used to these cold interruptions, but that wasn't what caused him to flinch.
Flash gulped. "No, Your Majesty. They seem to be perfectly harmless."
Sunset squinted her eyes suspiciously, then seemed to cheer up suddenly. "Great! Guards, may I speak to Captain Sentry in private, please?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." The guards bowed and left the room.
Sunset watched as the door closed, and then dropped the smile and sent a frown in Flash's direction.
"Flash, we're friends, right?" Her words didn't match didn't match her tone.
Flash nervously tugged at chest armor, and sweat went down his face. "Um, yeah...?"
"So..." Sunset walked up to him. "What are you hiding from me?"
"Am I really that see through?" Flash asked, clearly not stalling.
Sunset sighed, dropped her frown, and put a hoof on Flash's shoulder. In a soft voice, she said, "Flash, you're my one and only true friend. You know that I'm more than the little uptight, demanding princess that ponies think I am. I just want to know what's bothering you."
Flash looked into her eyes, and he sighed. Sunset dropped her hoof and stood before him, ready to listen.
"Well, the truth is...there's an alicorn in Ponyville."
Sunset frowned again. "I'm sorry if I'm slow, but how does that equal anything?"
"I wasn't done. I've never seen her there before. And I actually went there not two weeks ago. ...And the thing that bothers me the most is that, well, she seems to, hmm, how do I put this ligh-"
"Just come out with it, Flash! What's it about this alicorn, besides her sudden appearance, that's got you tongue-tied?" Sunset's frown deepened.
"Okay, fine, if you wanna be concise about it. She likes me, alright? As soon as she looked at me, she blushed. Like she took one look at me and blushed. I don't know what to do about it. There, happy?"
He looked at Sunset to see her jaw hanging agape. She snapped out of it and with a tiniest hint of a blush, said incredulously, "Really? You? Of all ponies? She happened to run into you and then fall head over hooves for you? What type of mare would do that? It's not li-"
She suddenly realized what'd she'd just said, and snapped her mouth shut. She wanted to facepalm so bad. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid. You had to ramble on, didn't you Shimmer?! Ugh...'
Sunset turned and left, her eyes focused on the floor.
"Sunset, wa-" The door cut off anything else Flash said.
As Sunset walked down the hall, she chided herself. "Me and my big mouth. All because a stupid mare decided to have a stupid crush on stupid Flash. And stupid me screwing up. Why can't I just be honest to him?"
She paused. Her hooves had brought her to the old, abandoned mural hall. She gazed at the glass panes, each depicting a historical event.
She winced as her eyes fell on one she remembered fondly. It was of her; what a momentous occasion it was when the heir was born...
She levitated her crown off her head; it seemed to mock her with its shine. The orange and red jewel that made up the majority of the headpiece gleamed with a sickly glow.
She sighed, putting the crown on her head. "Why can't I be honest to myself?"
"Y'know... all your problems could just... disappear..."
Sunset eyes widened and her posture stiffened. "Who's there?!"
"Why, Sunset... don't you recognize yourself...?"
"Show yourself!"
"Look in a mirror Sunny... you'll see me..."
Despite not trusting the strange voice, she looked in the mirror at the far end of the mural hall. She gasped as she saw not her own reflection, but that of a fiery red she-demon. She wanted to run or scream or anything for that matter, but she seemed unable to.
"What's wrong, Sunny? Can't face our own demons...?" The demon mocked.
"Wha-what are you?" Sunset managed to sputter out.
"That little demon inside you that's always helped you along your way..." The demon revealed a shining set of sharp teeth as it smiled. Sunset instinctively flinched.
"I can help you now... if you want... This 'Flash'... do you like him?"
Sunset retorted, "Th-that's none of your concern!"
The demon's eyes glowed. "On the contrary, Sunny... it is my concern... I am you, after all... And I'll take that as a yes... So, do you want to get rid of this 'Twilight' that seems to... taken a liking to 'Flash'...? All the while, making your reign unquestionable...?"
Hesitantly, Sunset said, "If I say yes, what do you suggest?"
"I was wondering when you'd ask... How does Ponyville down in flames sound...?"
Sunset's eyes widened. "Ponyville? In flames? No. Why would I ever do that?!"
"To make sure this 'Twilight' doesn't steal your crush... and to make sure nopony ever questions your command, ever again... Hitting two birds with one stone if you ask me..."
Sunset bit her lip. She knew it was wrong, but it seemed so right at the same time! She really would be hitting two birds with one stone...
Wait...
"What would you get out of this?" She asked warily.
It chuckled. "My, my... you certainly are the tactical one... What I'd get is the satisfaction of the... absolute..."
Sunset wasn't going to buy that load of horseapples; she glared at the demon in the mirror. But what the demon said next made her rethink.
"And what was this promise you made as foals...? Be the best guard and princess Canterlot's ever seen...? Won't 'Flash' break this little promise if 'Twilight' gets into his heart...? Wouldn't he leave his post for her...?"
Sunset tried to think logically, but she was lost in storm of second-guessing. No... Flash wouldn't really do that, would he? He wouldn't abandon his best friend, would he? Would he leave her for this Twilight? Would he really? She'd heard tales of a knight leaving with his love. Was it possible that Flash would be the same? With this Twilight?
She didn't know anymore.
The demon in her reflection grinned, confident that it had won. "So...is it deal or no deal, Shimmer...?"
Sunset looked the demon in the eye. The fire there was undeniable. The demon knew this was checkmate. It cackled as one word reverberated throughout the room.
"Deal."
I Apologize For Being Alive.../Float Away With The Sea, Tears Full Of Regret...
(A/N Notes: For those who aren't Vocaloid fans, you might want to watch the videos P.S: Video 1 & 2 are part of the same song, one's just the english singing, and the other's a PV of it)
Tears splashed against the cold stone beneath her hooves as she ran.
On and on she ran, tears marking her path...
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry… for everything…"
3 weeks later...
Sunset gazed sorrowfully out at the sea, ears flattened, as water lapped at her hooves.
She looked at the glass bottle in her magic aura and thought back to the rebellion weeks ago in Canterlot, and all that's happened since.
"Princess Sunset! The ponies demand that your reign ends now!"
"Take my cloak and this amulet. It will help you to disguise yourself."
"Will it really work? And what about you?"
"Well, look at me. The amulet clearly worked, right? And don't worry about me, you worry about yourself. Now GO!"
"As demanded by the ponies of Canterlot, Sunset Shimmer, you are now sentenced with death. Any last words?"
"I love you, Sunny…"
SWISH
"Oh my... Are you okay?"
"Yeah..."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause a revolution, I didn't mean to kill Twilight, I didn't mean to be a princess, I didn't mean to be- I didn't mean to be me. I didn't mean any of it! I was just a... a selfish little brat."
Sunset wiped away her the tears in her eyes. She brought up her right hoof to the amulet, which still hung around her neck although she didn't use its magic anymore.
'Why did I listen to that stupid mirror?! It's that... thing's fault! It's its fault the rebellion grew! It's its fault they took away my throne! It's its fault Flash is... dead. It's- it's... it's my fault...'
Bleary-eyed, she threw the bottle into the sea. She watched as it drifted off into the horizon.
Unbeknownst to Sunset, a pony slowly began to creep up on her.
In the fading light of the sun, something shined from their feathers. The pony pulled the object out of their wing, and raised it above Sunset. They took a quiet breath.
'For Twilight...'
"Sunset?"
Sunset whirled around.
"Yes, Fluttershy?"
Fluttershy ruffled her wings and pawed at the sand. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah... I am now." Sunset said, turning back around to look at the setting sun. She turned back to Fluttershy and smiled softly.
She sighed and started to head back to the shoreside house.
"You coming?" She asked Fluttershy, turning around for a moment.
"Oh, yes, of course!" Fluttershy said, adjusting her wing angle.
As she began to follow Sunset, she turned back one final time to look at the shoreside.
In an abandoned, unassuming room of Canterlot Castle, murals decorate the windows and a long mirror stands at the far end.
It is in this room that a vessel of sin awaits her awakening...
"What a shame... That pony was the last one who ever noticed this place... An easily word-manipulated fool that one... How easy is it for a pony to be spelled... She did kept me entertained though... long enough anyway..."
The demon changed into her natural form; blood-red skin became pitch-black hole-filled chitin, jagged crimson and obsidian wings became tattered see-through opal ones, and teal iris pinpricks became slitted, draconic, and a sickly shade of harlequin green.
She brooded over the mirror prison realm that'd been her home for centuries, and she mocked creatures through the mirrors of the realm to be her entertainment. But never had she ever had enough.
Suddenly, there was a bright white flash, and a strange creature appeared. "No need to worry, my dear! Today's your lucky day; your wait is finally over!"
"Who are you...? And exactly what are you here for...?" The changeling in the mirror asked the strange creature before her as she narrowed her eyes.
"Well, your savior, of course, my dear! It's about time for you to get your carapace outta that mirror! ...And name's Discord, my dear Chrysalis." He tapped his mismatched paw and claw together and grinned a toothy smile. "And I believe that it's time for the Sins to be united once more..."
